Daily Forty-Niner; April 12, 2021

weekly digital print edition

DAILY FORTY-NINER EST p 1949

Vol. LXXII, Issue 27

www.daily49er.com

Monday, April 12, 2021

Hope is here

Inside the

Niner

pg 5

NEWS City council approves Emergency Intake Site pg 3

ARTS & LIFE Small business spotlight: Broadway Video pg 7

2 NEWS

MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2021 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | NEWS@DAILY49ER.COM ON THE COVER PHOTO BY ANDREA RAMOS

Daily Forty-Niner 1250 Bellflower Blvd., LA4-203 Long Beach, CA, 90840

Editorial Office Phone (562) 985-8000

Business Office Phone (562) 985-1740

Madalyn Amato

Lauren Berny

Multimedia Managing Editor multimedia@daily49er.com

Editor in Chief eic@daily49er.com

News Editor Julia Terbeche news@daily49er.com Arts & Life Editor Paris Barraza arts@daily49er.com Opinions Editor Kelsey Brown opinions@daily49er.com CSULB Commencement Office

Six “microstages” will set up in the parking lot of Angel Stadium for graduates to walk across before or after the ceremony

Commencement 411 Next month’s ceremony will allow graduates to have two guests and will feature recognition stages.

Sports Editor Samantha Diaz sports@daily49er.com Design Editor Alejandro Vazquez design@daily49er.com Advertising Manager Carter Magee advertising@daily49er.com Business Manager Sai Zin Phyo Lwin business@daily49er.com Special Projects Editor Peter Villafañe Photo Editor Andrea Ramos Video Editor Abel Reyes Social Media Editor Celeste Huecias

By Iman Palm and Julia Terbeche News Desk

G

raduating Long Beach State students participating in next month’s commencement ceremony can expect two guest tickets, two parking passes and a socially distanced seating arrangement at Angel Stadium.

The Commencement Office initially announced that graduates will only be given one ticket for a guest in addition to a ticket for themselves, to which students voiced their concerns over having to choose favorites between parents, friends or a significant other.

In response, Jeff Cook, associate vice president of strategic communications, said in an email to the Daily Forty-Niner that the university had been working with the venue to permit more guests. The following day, the commencement team sent out an email to all graduates confirming this information.

“The university has worked with Angel Stadium to increase allowable tickets per ceremony so that each student may now have two guests along with the two parking passes,” the email read.

“Mobile tickets will be distributed in mid-May to all eligible graduates.”

Cook maintained that the seating arrangement for guests is “still being determined.” In total, graduates will be given three tickets, one for themselves and two for guests, and two parking passes.

The ceremony, which will be held from May 28 to 31 at Angel Stadium, will be livestreamed on the commencement website for guests without tickets.

Graduates from the classes of 2020 and 2021 will also be able to walk across “microstages,” which will be present in the

stadium parking lot for photo opportunities. Cook said there will be six “graduate recognition stages” in total set up outside the stadium.

While the ceremony will occur inside Angel Stadium, the recognition stages will be set up outside the venue in the parking lot for graduates to walk across. At the stages, students’ customized grad slides will be displayed and their names will be read aloud by CSULB alumnus Jamieson Price, a professional voice actor and announcer for the recent Mortal Kombat games.

“Pre-recorded name-reading occurs only at the recognition stages outside of the stadium.

Students may access these stages both before and after the ceremonies inside the stadium,” Cook said. “At the recognition stages outside the stadium, students scan their ticket and their name is played and their graduate slide is shown. Graduates can then walk across the stage as their guests or friends take photos or videos.”

Cook maintained that “the ceremonies inside the stadium and the availability of the recognition stages outside the stadium are independent of each other.”

This announcement comes after officials previously stated that students would remain in their seats for the entirety of the program.

In a previous email to the Daily Forty-Niner, Cook said that students will not be given any form of diploma as “giving participants any item handled by multiple persons is not permitted and, therefore, is not being planned.”

While the programs for each ceremony are still being planned, a big part of each ceremony will be “the formal conferral of degrees,” according to Cook.

The deadline for students to submit their name pronunciation has been extended to April 16, and

the graduate slide complete with a photo and quote is due May 1.

Students from the classes of 2020 and 2021 will be recognized by their year and college from May 28 to 31: • College of Engineering — Friday, May 28, 9:30 a.m.

• College of Liberal Arts — Friday, May 28, 5 p.m.

• College of the Arts — Saturday, May 29, 9:30 a.m.

• College of Health & Human Services — Saturday, May 29, 5 p.m.

• College of Education — Sunday, May 30, 9:30 a.m.

• College of Business — Sunday, May 30, 5 p.m.

• College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics — Monday, May 31, 9:30 a.m.

After officials announced last month that the commencement team was considering hosting an in-person ceremony, a survey was sent to all graduating students asking whether they would prefer an in-person alternative to the car parade. As Long Beach and Orange counties have transitioned into the orange tier, restrictions have loosened and outdoor stadiums are reopening.

“By a 6:1 margin, graduates in the classes of 2020 and 2021 asked that we pursue an in-person option for graduation ceremonies.

Based on these results and under the new outdoor stadium live performance public health guidelines, we are planning a pivot from drive-through commencement ceremonies to inperson ceremonies,” they said in an email.

In line with health directives, only guests with tickets will be permitted inside the stadium and must remain in their seats for the duration of the program.

More details are available on the commencement website.

Podcast Editor Cameron Johnston Podcast Assistant Luke Pajari Design Assistant Anna Karkalik Gisele Robinett News Assistant Iman Palm News Assistant Fernando Haro Opinions Assistant Bella Arnold Special Projects Assistant Giselle Alexandra Ormeño Photo Assistant Richard Grant Social Media Assistants Desiree Aguilera Dominique Hernandez Briet Sarthak Sheladia Webmaster Dinesh Reddy Kommera Community Engagement Ashley Ramos Manager PR & Promotions Manager Alejandro Vazquez Distribution Manager Carter Magee Design Adviser Gary Metzker Content Adviser Barbara Kinglsey-Wilson Advertising & Business Jennifer Newton Adviser

Letters to Editor editor@daily49er.com

Story Ideas tips@daily49er.com

Corrections correction@daily49er.com

Job Inquiries jobs@daily49er.com

Letters Policy: All letters and emails must bear the phone number of the writer and must be no more than 300 words. The Daily Forty-Niner reserves the right to edit letters for publication in regard to space.

Editorials: All opinions expressed in the columns, letters and cartoons in the issue are those of the writers or artists. The opinons of the Daily FortyNiner are expressed only in unsigned editorials and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the journalism department or the views of all staff members. All such editorials are written by the editorial board of the Daily Forty-Niner.

NEWS 3

MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2021 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | NEWS@DAILY49ER.COM

JULIA TERBECHE | Daily Forty-Niner

As part of a rally organized by the Long Beach Immigrant Rights Coalition, local activists gather in front of city hall Tueday in response to the proposal.

City to host shelter for migrant children The Long Beach Convention Center will become an Emergency Intake Site after unanimous approval from city council.

By Fernando Haro Assistant News Editor

D

ozens of protestors gathered outside city hall Tuesday calling for transparency and accountability as the Long Beach City Council voted to approve using the Long Beach Convention Center as a temporary shelter to house unaccompanied migrant children coming from overflowing border patrol facilities in the southwest United States.

The unanimous vote will allow the city to begin working with the federal government on establishing the facility as an Emergency Intake Site, which is slated to house about 1,000 unaccompanied migrant children.

Working alongside the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the California Office of Emergency Services, the city plans to use the over 400,000-squarefoot arena to house children for a period of up to 120 days as they wait to be reconnected with

their families or a U.S. sponsor.

According to the plan, children within the facility will receive basic necessities, including three meals a day, medical and health evaluations, recreation time and educational services.

The federal government will be responsible for funding the services, and the program will be of no cost to the city of Long Beach. “[Children] need our help, and I think the one thing about government, and the one thing at least why I’m in this business, is to do the most good,” Mayor Robert Garcia said during the special meeting.

This comes after the federal government contacted the city of Long Beach for assistance as there has been a recent increase in children crossing the southwest U.S. border unaccompanied by an adult and the Biden administration continues with its plan to reconstruct the immigration system. “[Immigrants] make up the very fabric of who we are as a community,” Garcia said.

Councilmembers emphasized that the contract with the federal government will focus on family reunification and will expire on Monday, Aug. 2.

“The purpose of this facility

is clear, it is not a child prison,” Vice Mayor Rex Richardson said.

The council was expected to approve the proposal during Tuesday’s meeting after Garcia expressed his support for the temporary shelter during an interview Monday.

As an immigrant who left his home country of Peru as a child alongside his mother, Garcia personally understands the plight of those that leave their native country in search of a better opportunity. He maintained that this decision is about helping children.

“I know how important is to support all people, especially children,” Garcia said. “This is an opportunity to show our kindness and compassion.”

In a tweet posted yesterday, Garcia acknowledged Long Beach as a city with a long history of welcoming and supporting immigrants and refugees.

In 1975, the first wave of Cambodian refugees, who were escaping the Communist Party Khmer Rouge during a civil war, settled Long Beach, creating the largest Cambodian population outside of their home country and contributing to the local economy through their own

commercial businesses.

As of 2016, immigrants in Long Beach make up more than 25% of the city’s population, according to a report by New American Economy and the Long Beach Office of Equity.

According to the report, immigrants in Long Beach paid more than $1 billion in taxes in 2016 and were responsible for the creation or preservation of more than 5,800 local manufacturing jobs.

Garcia said that Long Beach will work with the federal government to be “engaged in every step of the way” to provide transparency and accountability to the public during this process, something demonstrators asked for during the simultaneous protest outside city hall.

While there was an overwhelming amount of positive support for the shelter during public comment, the rally outside consisted of protestors shouting “shame on you Long Beach” and “Abolish ICE.” Organized by the Long Beach Immigrant Rights Coalition, the rally featured about 100 demonstrators protesting the city’s proposal. Calling on city officials, the group demanded there not be any presence

from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or increased police in the city.

Moving forward, the Long Beach Convention Center is set to become the state’s second major site for housing unaccompanied migrant children after San Diego offered its convention center last month.

At this time, there is no exact date for when children will be moving into the facility, though plans will be arranged in the coming days.

Councilwoman Cindy Allen, who motioned to move forward with the plan, said that the children who will be coming to the temporary shelter have already had their families or sponsors located. However, connecting them with their guardians remains one of the logistical concerns for some councilmembers as some parents may be located halfway across the country.

At this time, the council does not know how long the reunification process would take for each child.

“I believe that in all my heart, that this is the right thing to do,” Allen said. “I’m so happy that we can provide safe and temporary shelter for these children.”

4 NEWS

MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2021 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | NEWS@DAILY49ER.COM

Vaccines required for on-campus residents Students living in the dorms this fall must show proof of a CDC-approved COVID-19 vaccine.

By Julia Terbeche News Editor

H

ousing and Residential Life has announced that all Long Beach State students living on campus will be required to show proof of vaccination to reside in the dorms in fall 2021.

“The university plans to require a COVID-19 vaccine for those who choose to live in student housing as an important component in helping ensure the health and safety of our residents,” Jeff Cook, associate vice president of strategic communications, said in an email.

According to an email sent by housing officials, on-campus residents must submit proof of a COVID-19 vaccine approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by June 15.

“With a decrease in cases in our area and the progress made with vaccines, Housing and Residential Life expects to be open at approximately 85%. We will be housing students in double and triple room occupancy,” the email said.

Per the email, “space is limited,” and officials expect the waitlist will be “longer than usual” due to public health restrictions.

According to Corry Colonna, executive director of Housing and Residential Life, the university “received the go ahead” from the California State University Chancellor’s Office about two weeks ago to be able to mandate vaccines next fall for on-campus residents since housing is a “choice for students,” not required.

“We decided that this was the best option to be able to provide the services that we are proud to provide to as many of our students as possible,” Colonna said in an email. “There are already other CSU campuses who are making the same decision and in discussions with my peers in the CSU, this is likely to be required with many other of the campuses who haven’t yet made a formal decision. “ Colonna maintained that he is happy about this decision as having vaccinated residents will allow the dorms return to up to 90% occupancy, a jump from the roughly 15% seen last fall.

“It has been difficult to turn so many students away in the last year from the option to live with us. I heard some heartbreaking stories about overcrowded living conditions and difficulties studying with multiple siblings all studying remotely at the same time,” Colonna said. “We needed to keep our numbers exceptionally low to meet the guidelines provided by public health this year amidst the surges in cases and had to turn away students that I feel confident would have benefitted from living with us.”

Housing and Residential Life will be working with Student Health Services to develop a plan for students to send confirmation of their vaccination, which Colonna said “should be quite easy.”

The university has been administering vaccines on campus from the Walter Pyramid parking structure, so far to faculty and staff members and will soon be moving onto high-risk students.

As of April 5, CSULB has administered 7,963 vaccinations, both dose one and two. At this time, there are no current COVID-19 cases among faculty and staff and just one positive test from an off-campus student.

This story was updated on April 6 at 1:20 p.m. to include a quote from Jeff Cook and again on April 8 at 11:10 a.m. to include information from Corry Colonna.

RICHARD GRANT | Daily Forty-Niner

Vials of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine along with patient information cards lay at the Long Beach Convention Center vaccination site.

JULIA TERBECHE| Daily Forty-Niner

As a result of the coranavirus pandemic, the dorms only saw 4% occupancy during the fall 2020 semester.

NEWS 5

MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2021 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | NEWS@DAILY49ER.COM

ANDREA RAMOS | Daily Forty-Niner

Domenico’s Italian Restaurant on Second Street puts up new banner to let customers know it now allows inside dining.

By Andrea Ramos Photo Editor

A

s the state continues to see an increase in vaccinations and decrease in coronavirus cases, Long Beach has progressed into the orange tier under the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy starting March 31. This transition comes soon after Los Angeles County moved into the red tier mid-March.

According to the blueprint, in order for a county to reopen, the city has to consider daily new COVID-19 cases, positivity rate, health equity metric and the number of vaccines administered.

As of April 5, Long Beach has a total of 82 residents hospitalized and 17 new cases, and has administered over 137,000 vaccines.

For businesses that have been closed for the majority of the year, the transition into orange tier allows for a stronger recovery.

Under the orange tier, retail stores and personal care stores can fully open with modifications, and private gatherings are now permitted with individuals from no more than three separate households, for two hours or less, and with modifications.

Professional sports and outdoor live performances may operate with modifications at an increased capacity, from 30% to 33%. Amusement parks are also eligible to reopen, operating at

a 25% capacity limit and with modifications.

Places of worship, weddings and funerals may operate indoors with an increased capacity from 25% to 50% with modifications.

Also, movie theaters, museums, botanical gardens, restaurants and aquariums can increase their capacities from 25% to 50%, or up to 200 persons, with modifications.

galleries, which have been closed since the summer of 2020, will be fully open with safety precautions. The Honda Pacific Visions Theater, the newest addition to the aquarium, will be open at limited capacity and for reservation only.

Other businesses reopening are likely to increase hours for their workers, most notably with restaurants as they begin to seat

still provide for people, where it might be the highlight of their day to go out and get food if they’re stuck at home,” Pallera said.

Since starting at the restaurant, Pallera has been able to “do it all,” from bagging food and taking orders when only takeout was permitted to serving and training when the parklet opened in the parking lot.

“There were times where it

Orange tier brings hope for Long Beach businesses The Aquarium of the Pacific reopened on March 16, now on a timed-reservation basis, according to CEO and President Peter Kareiva in a press release.

“We have survived, and our animals have thrived the last year only because of the support of our donors.” Kareiva said. “With our reopening, we can continue to give back to our communities through our educational programs and provide an experience for visitors that embodies spring and recovery.”

The aquarium’s three main

patrons indoors. After struggling with approval of street parklets, cold weather and takeout modifications, restaurants are beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Celine Pallera, a server for Ramen Hub & Poke on Atlantic Avenue, has been with the restaurant since before the pandemic and has seen establishments struggle with the decision to let workers go or close up shop.

“I’m glad I was able to be a part of a restaurant that was able to

looked so empty in here, we had storage and take-out stuff out, it was sad,” Pallera said. “I didn’t see anybody for the most part, it was all phone orders and putting orders through Postmastes and GrubHub. The only interaction I had was with the cook and one other coworker.”

Pallera maintained that “as long as everyone’s safe, I’m glad to have people back in the restaurant.”

Other restaurants, like Domenico’s Italian Restaurant on Second Street, have also able to keep all of their employees.

“Our community really helped us out by keeping all of our employees,” Michael Torrenueva, assistant general manager, said.

“We were even able to hire more servers with the recent openings to be able to accommodate an anticipated busy first weekend.”

Torrenueva said Domenico’s has already been able to set up the majority of its available reservations.

“With the increased capacity indoors, it really opens us up to new opportunities of growth,” Torrenueva said.

Other businesses, however, have not been as lucky and have had to temporarily close their shops, like art studio and gallery Studio Pick.

Through his studio, artist Gregory Navarro Pickens offers group sessions to teach art or provide a space for expression.

He originally opened his shop in August 2019 and saw success until he closed in March 2020.

“I was booking a lot of parties and the business was starting to pay for itself, so I just got a taste of that success, and then we had to close,” Pickens said.

“Initially, I remodeled this place when I closed thinking that we’d be reopening in a month or two, stocking up on materials and reengineered processes, and then we never re-opened.”

After over a year of being shut down, Pickens was finally able to reopen on April 2.

“I’ve been doing a lot of work myself in here as an artist, it’s been actually incredible to have this space, I think, a studio during this time,” he said. “So, as an artist I have gotten a lot of mileage out of this place but certainly not the business I had intended.”

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2021 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | ARTS@DAILY49ER.COM

ARTS & LIFE 7

Broadway Video fighting to stay open amid pandemic

By Jorge Villa Staff Writer

W

hen Broadway Video opened its doors 40 years ago, the war for dominance between video home entertainment stores ended with streaming platforms, but the store continued to thrive until the coronavirus pandemic hit.

Orders to close nonessential businesses forced owner Steve Tspelis to temporarily close the store for three months to prevent the spread of COVID-19 from March 12 to June 15 last year, but now, he’s been forced to set up a GoFundMe page to prevent the store from closing its doors permanently.

For the past 28 years, Tspelis has worked in the store as a manager until he bought it in 2017 from Tom Bailey and Carl Detweiler, who previously owned the store.

Tspelis said he wasn’t sure if he wanted to purchase the store.

“There’s a big passion for that video store, and that’s why I bought it three years ago, to save it,” Tspelis said. “The owners were going to close it because they wanted to retire and people were like, ‘No, no, no, you can’t close this place.’

That’s hard to carry around with you and I’m always like, ‘No, don’t worry, we’re not going anywhere.’

But I can’t really say that with confidence these days, back to them.”

As of Thursday, Broadway Video’s GoFundMe has reached over $3,000, but is still far from its $20,000 goal.

“I sit, and I make sure I write thank you to every single person because I really do appreciate it,”

Tspelis said. “And just like I said, I’m pulling out all the stops trying to keep the space going right now because it is one of the last video stores in Long Beach.”

Tspelis has stated that he has received small loans of $10,000 from the city at the beginning of the shutdown but said it’s not enough to cover three months rent on top of the current rent.

Though Long Beach has shifted into the orange tier, Tspelis said some regulars have not come back since they opened. Others have said that they didn’t know the store was open.

During the time the store was closed, Tspelis knew he had to make some changes, so he reactivated his dormant social media channels, especially Instagram, in hopes of connecting with customers.

One of the connections Tspelis made was with the Fourth Horsemen, a pizzeria in Long Beach known for its horror-themed pizzas.

“We wanted to cross-promote with them and a couple of coffee shops and try to get some new things going and get the buzz going again,” Tspelis said.

Tspelis is also pursuing yoga classes hosted by instructor Matthew Purpura in the morning before the store opens its regular operational hours on Tuesdays through Thursdays.

“I kind of modernized it a little bit, but kept the essence of the old video store, you know, I started putting new fixtures that are on wheels to move them because of the yoga classes,” Tspelis said.

When Tspelis is not in the store, he is running errands like picking up mail orders of movies or movie posters and going to Smart and Final to buy candy to place on the shelf fixtures across the cashier

Photos by JORGE VILLA | Daily Forty-Niner

Steve Tsepelis, top, owner of the Broadway Video store in Long Beach located on Retro Row stands next to over 25,000 of movies ranging from classic, drama, horror and action. The Broadway Video store, above, launched a campaign fundraiser to raise $20,000 in order to remain to open. counter.

Inside Broadway Video, manager Phil Deubel greets guests as they push against the turnstile in the entrance. The store has 25,000 titles according to Tspelis, ranging from new releases like “Wonder Woman” and international films like “Mother” from Academy Award-winner Bong Joon-Ho. “I love the community, I love the selection, the people I work with, it’s just it’s a very nice environment,” Deubel said. “And yeah, if the pandemic showed us one thing it’s that people want, every once in a while, some great movies, something for the soul.”

Customers like Dan and Lana Johnson come to the store to rent their favorite shows like “Game of Thrones” and “The Wire.”

“We’ve made it a point every

time and we at least come down here and spend more money because we want to see these places still,” Dan Johnson said. “Yeah, I don’t want to see them go like the Blockbuster Video.”

Tspelis said that he recognizes the changes he is making to the video store will not reflect the price to rent a movie, which has not changed for over 20 years: $3.25 for three days.

Broadway Video’s slogan on Instagram reads, “Don’t settle for what’s streaming.”

According to Tspelis, there is a meaning behind that.

“There’s no junk in our store, it’s all quality stuff,” Tspelis said.

Broadway Video is staying open later on Fridays and Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.

8 OPINIONS

MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2021 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | OPINIONS@DAILY49ER.COM

Dear Congress, it is time to do something about gun control Three mass shooting events within two weeks is a good enough indicator that action needs to be taken.

A

By Nicholas James Staff Writer

fter the Boulder City shooting, a heavy cloud looms over the country as gun control takes center stage yet again in the primetime of discussions and talk shows’ topics over whether or not the country should consider banning guns, primarily assault rifles and high-capacity magazines.

Mass shootings have plagued the United States as far back as the 1980s, with one of the earliest being the McDonald’s Massacre in San Ysidro, California, which left 21 dead and 19 wounded. Since 1980, there have been 114 mass shootings, shootings where at least three people are killed, in the United States, including the Aurora shooting in 2012, the Orlando gay nightclub in 2016 and the Las Vegas massacre in 2017.

What often intrigues me is how people respond during these events.

While most of the country is looking for a solution to the crisis, it is never really established or finalized because it turns from a conversation into finger-pointing, screaming and a cursing death-match.

Despite a public opinion poll that showed 90% of Americans were in favor of gun control laws, people have often mistaken gun rights owners as dangerous, even though only 19% belong to the National Rifle Association, according to research done by the Pew Research Center in 2017.

Background checks are required by law under the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993; the bill stopped a little over two million gun purchases between 1994 and 2004 — an average of 343 purchases a day during that period. The bill had blocked one million felons, 291,000 domestic abusers and 118,000 fugitives during the 10-year period from purchasing any form of firearms.

However, the bill has been the last major gun control law in the United States on a federal level, despite having influence in state laws such as in California, where it is considered one of the toughest states when it comes to gun control laws.

Background checks have always been required on both a state and federal level for buying and selling guns, but a major loophole that has not been solved is the online sale of guns. What’s the difference? You can purchase a gun online without needing to undergo a background check.

It is also the same issue with gun shows. That means felons, domestic abusers and criminals can purchase

firearms without having to go through background checks. This is often referred to as the “black market” for the gun markets.

Other loopholes primarily involve reporting convictions to the federal database.

Take the case with Devin Kelly.

In 2017, Kelly drove to his church in Sutherland Spring, Texas and opened fire both inside and outside the church, killing 26 people and leaving 20 wounded. After further investigations, it was later discovered that the Air Force failed to report Kelly, who had a strong obsession with mass shootings and had previously threatened violence while also being convicted of assaulting his then-wife and stepson.

The military, much like the Air Force, has a knack for not reporting to the federal databases. A 2017 inspection found that the Army had the worst record, with 41% of unreported convictions, followed by the Navy at 36% and the Air Force at 14%.

In an effort to fix this problem, one of the countries with better solutions to the problem is New Zealand.

New Zealand is often referenced as the country of choice in these discussions for its efforts in gun control regulations, especially for its quick gun laws following the horrific incident that took place in 2019.

The Oceanic country had made the news for banning military-style semi-automatic weapons following the attack at two mosques in Christchurch that left 49 dead and 20 others injured.

The most significant and recent changes to the set of reforms were requiring license holders to register and update on a registry whenever its citizens bought or sold a gun.

Though it is too early to tell if the changes will be positive longterm for New Zealand, the country has not seen any mass shootings since the laws were passed and homicides have decreased.

Connecticut had passed a permit-to-purchase law in 1995, and within the next 10 years since that was first passed, the state had seen a drop of 40% in firearm homicides, which suggests that requiring a permit before a purchase can help reduce gun-related homicides.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., ranking member of the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, said in the following statement, “We know that there’s no single solution to our gun violence epidemic, but there are ideas out there that will help save lives. And if we can save even one life, it’s worth the effort. We can’t let the NRA and gun manufacturers dictate our gun laws. Congress has to step up and act.”

Yes, Feinstein, Congress should be stepping up. But how many more men, women and children will be killed before Congress finally does something?

Let us hope that another trigger isn’t pulled.

MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2021 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | OPINIONS@DAILY49ER.COM

OPINIONS 9

Playing sports can work, but not the way it’s currently being done

By Matthew Brown Staff Writer

W

atching sports has remained a constant in American culture throughout the best of times and the worst.

When America was entering World War II, the commissioner of baseball at the time, Kenesaw Landis, wrote to President Franklin Roosevelt asking if the upcoming season should be canceled. Roosevelt wrote back the very next day, “I honestly feel that it would be best for the country to keep baseball going.”

Being a spectator at a sporting event has always been one of the country’s favorite pastimes. Fans have the opportunity to tune out their everyday problems and watch the best athletes in the country compete at the highest levels for three hours. People gather with their friends to watch, drink, eat and enjoy the game.

No matter what problems were going on in the country, sports served as an escape. That was until the coronavirus shut everything down.

As the world began to deal with a global pandemic, there was uncertainty on whether or not being able to play a game was possible, let alone a whole season. Nobody knew for sure how deadly the virus was or exactly how it spread. Cases continued to rise, and teams could never have predicted how serious and long-lasting the situation would become.

The NFL, MLB and NHL all had their seasons interrupted, and it was looking as if their 2020 seasons would be canceled altogether. Fans across the country were left in the dark as the sports world came to a screeching halt.

Resuming the season was not going to be easy. The NBA had the best solution to play out the rest of its season, creating the, now famous, “bubble” located in the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort. The NBA created a safety plan over 100 pages long to ensure players’ safety and minimize outbreaks.

Masks were required for everyone not on the court.

Players, referees and bench players and coaches who

sat in the first row of seats were not required to wear masks. Social distancing was mandated around the bubble, and testing was done daily. Players and staff could not hang out in each others’ hotel rooms. No fans were allowed in the bubble lowering the risk of exposure to the outside world.

The NBA bubble is a shining example on how sports can and should work during a pandemic. Nobody tested positive for COVID-19 during the three months that teams were in Florida. According to Forbes, the NBA spent $180 million on the bubble. While it sounds like a lot, spending that money prevented the sport from losing $1.5 billion.

The success of the NBA bubble led the MLB to adopt a similar approach for its playoffs. Playoff teams from the national league played in Texas, while teams from the American league played in Southern California. The NHL followed soon after, announcing that it would have all its games in two cities, Edmonton and Toronto.

Of course the success of these plans is mostly dependent on the players, coaches and team personnel to follow COVID-19 protocols. With so many people involved, there’s bound to be a few who try to bend the rules. Houston Rockets forward Danuel House Jr. was kicked out of the NBA bubble after he had an unauthorized guest in his hotel room.

Cleveland baseball pitchers Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac broke protocols after leaving the team hotel to go out for the night. Nobody tested positive, but the team subsequently took them off the major league roster and sent them back to the alternate training facility.

Even with the occasional rule breakers, keeping players healthy and safe can be done. When you add fans into the equation however, things become more complicated.

MLB had done an amazing job with the 2020 season, allowing no fans in the stadium and ensuring no one could get in close contact with players. When the playoffs came and with the neutral site in Texas, with loose COVID-19 restrictions, the league saw an opportunity to soften its overall losses from the year. Back in October, before any vaccine had been administered, 11,500 fans were allowed to attend every game in the National League Championship series and the World Series.

The NFL left it up to teams to follow their state guidelines on whether or not they would allow fans in the stands. Teams like the Rams, Patriots and Raiders

played in empty home stadiums, while teams like the Dolphins, Bengals and Browns allowed fans in at some capacity. When it came time for the biggest sporting event in America, the Super Bowl, 25,000 fans lined the stands.

Filling a stadium with thousands of people is a mockery to all the health care workers who sacrificed so much to battle this virus. It’s as if we are pretending there isn’t a pandemic raging that has killed over 2.8 million people globally.

Every venue has rules people are supposed to follow. Masks are required, you can only sit in your seat and social distancing measures are in place. But people are just supposed to follow the rules — they are not strictly enforced.

If you look around the stands at these games, you will see a lot of people following the rules. You’ll also see a lot of people walking around, masks on their chin conversing with people not already with them. When a foul ball is hit into the stands, maskless fans swarm around trying to be the first one to pick it up. The importance of social distancing goes through the window once fans see an opportunity to get memorabilia.

Some fans are disciplined if they brazenly ignore the rules. A maskless fan was kicked out of a spring training game in March after being rowdy and refusing to wear a mask. This conflict, which puts people’s health at risk, could all be avoided if the major sport leagues would be patient on letting fans back in the stands.

Instead, these billion-dollar franchises are using their revenue losses from last year to justify the need to sell tickets. MLB teams collectively lost over $3 billion, and the NFL lost almost $4 billion.

With more vaccines being administered around the country, every sports team is now allowed to have fans at some capacity. The Texas Rangers are allowing 100% capacity, which is 40,300 people. President Joe Biden has called this decision “a mistake.”

Even as vaccines are becoming more accessible, there has been another surge in coronavirus cases across the country. Being too hasty when it comes to allowing fans in the stands might add unnecessary fuel to the fire.

Fans are eager to return to their favorite team’s stadium. The experience of a packed house full of diehard fans is an experience that few others can compare to.

However, risking all the progress the country has made to watch your favorite team in person, rather than at home, is not worth it.

10 SPORTS

MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2021 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | SPORTS@DAILY49ER.COM

From Texas to Long Beach The 6-foot junior guard provides scoring talent and experience to the 2021-22 roster.

By Samantha Diaz Sports Editor

L

Image courtesy of Joel Murray

Junior guard Joel Murray announced his commitment to Long Beach April 7 after winning a championship at DII school West Texas A&M.

ong Beach State’s men’s basketball team is set to add some much needed scoring talent to its 202122 roster after West Texas A&M guard Joel Murray announced his commitment to the Beach April 7 via Twitter. The 6-foot junior guard hopes to join the team after leading West Texas to its third straight championship and earning the Lone Star Conference Most Valuable Player award.

Murray announced his commitment to Long Beach just one week after entering the National Collegiate Athletic Association transfer portal.

Long Beach will be Murray’s first taste of Division I basketball.

“I chose to commit to Long Beach because the coaching staff made me a priority during the process,” Murray said. “Their resumes all speak for themselves as they all have coached and developed high level pros in their careers, so I feel like I could be the next one.”

Murray spent three years with WT and played for Rowlett high school before that. The move will mark the

first time the guard will play in a state other than Texas.

Long Beach lost four of its high-performance guards to graduation this year in Jordan Roberts, Drew Cobb, Colin Slater and Isaiah Washington, as well as an early dismissal of Michael Carter III. Murray averaged 35 minutes a game in his last season at A&M, averaging 23 points a game and sinking 47% from the field.

He finished with 30% from the three, 80% in free throws made and was second on the team in rebounds and steals, at 136 and 41 respectively.

The junior guard has two remaining seasons of eligibility, and although he’s among the shortest on the roster so far, his scoring resume makes up for it.

“It’s an opportunity for me to come in and change the program back to a winning culture, which is something I think I’m very good at,” Murray said. “I’m most excited to be able to just come in and play in a new program that’s hungry to win.”

Long Beach finished the 2020-21 season with a 6-12 overall record, 4-8 Big West Conference. The team made it to the second round of the Big West Tournament, but was unable to pull off an upset against UC Santa Barbara in the final minutes of the game.

Dirtbags split doubleheader against Mustangs After a sloppy first game, Long Beach State bounces back and is able to hold onto its series lead over Cal Poly.

Left-handed pitcher Alfredo Ruiz had his best showing of the season, pitching seven innings and allowing two hits and no runs in Long Beach’s doubleheader against Cal Poly Saturday night.

cit 7-5 with the bases loaded and the winning run on first. The rally died unfortunately for the Dirtbags as a strikeout ended the game.

The Dirtbags turned to Alfredo Ruiz to pitch them to a win in game two. Ruiz was looking to bounce back after having his worst start of the season last week against UC San Diego, in which he only went 2.1 innings and allowed five runs.

Pitching his best game of the season, Ruiz only allowed two hits and no runs through seven innings. The left-handed sophomore only walked three batters and struck out seven Mustangs.

The offense didn’t do too much against Cal Poly’s starter Travis Weston. The seldom runs proved to be enough however, as Chris Jimenez had an RBI, and Aidan Malm hit a solo homerun.

Dirtbags’ closer Devereaux Harrison pitched the final two innings, only allowing one run and securing Long Beach State’s win 2-1.

Rons to bust open its lead 7-0 going into the bottom of the ninth. The Dirtbags had their backs up against the wall, but re-

Long Beach State will wrap up the series against Cal Poly Pomona Sunday at 1 p.m. Jack Noble will start the game for the Dirtbags.

By Matthew Brown Staff Writer

T

he Dirtbags (8-7) split their doubleheader with Cal Poly (15-12) on Saturday, keeping their record above .500 for the season.

They fell 7-5 in the first game, but were able to bounce back in the second, taking it 2-1 in the Bohl Diamond at Blair Field and keeping the series lead 2-1 over the Mustangs.

Long Beach starter Luis Ramirez looked solid early, only allowing one baserunner through the first three innings.

His solid start quickly fell apart as the Mustangs ran through their lineup a second time, as they tagged him for one run in the fourth inning and for four runs in the top of the fifth.

Ramirez suffered his worst start of the season, going only five innings and allowing five runs. This is the first time he has not thrown a quality start since Feb. 16 of last year.

Cal Poly was able to add two more runs off of reliever Jake

Image courtesy of John Fajardo

fused to go down without a fight.

Long Beach State’s bats waited until the last possible moments to make things inter-

esting. The offense was able to quickly get two runs with only one out. The team started a late rally and was able to cut the defi-

IN-HOUSE ADVERTISEMENT

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

GENDER INEQUITY IN FILM: A DISCUSSION ABOUT PATHWAYS TO BALANCE, INCLUSION, AND CAREERS IN THE INDUSTRY Thursday, April 15, 2021 6:00-8:00 pm A panel discussion & breakout rooms with industry experts Jessica Sharzer: Jessica Sharzer: is a screenwriter, director, producer, and editor primarily in TV. She was an episode writer and supervising producer for the serial horror-drama television series American Horror Story.

The Horror Writers Association awarded her the 2011 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Screenplay for her episode "Afterbirth". In 2016, she wrote the screenplay of the feature film Nerve, based on the novel of the same name. She adapted Darcey Bell's novel A Simple Favor into a screenplay for a 2018 film of the same name.

Nisha Ganatra: is a Golden Globe winner and an Emmy nominee for her work as the Director/Producer for Transparent. Recently she directed The High Note for Working Title and Focus Features.

Nisha’s feature film, Late Night, sold to Amazon in a record-breaking deal.

She has sold a drama project to ABC and a comedy pilot to NBC with Amy Poehler producing.

Nisha was co-executive producer/director for Better Things, You Me Her, and created Code Academy for ITVS/PBS series Futurestates.

Christine Swanson: is a filmmaker and producer. She directed For the Love of Ruth, To Hell and Back, and biopic Love Under New Management: The Miki Howard Story. Other award-winning projects Christine has written and/or directed in her career include Two Seasons, All About You, All About Us, and Women Thou Art Loosed. Christine received a 2015 NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Directing in a Television Motion Picture for For the Love of Ruth.

Michel Waxman: is Executive Producer at Nonfiction Unlimited, creative production home to a roster of notable documentary directors working on commercial and branded entertainment projects. Prior to Nonfiction Unlimited, Michel was Executive Producer at Chelsea Pictures helming the LA office and prior to that she was Executive Producer at Serial Pictures in Culver City. She has over 20 years in advertising in branded entertainment.

Sarba Das: is a seasoned film and television executive who currently works on documentaries at A24. Das was formerly Vice President/Head of Documentaries at Pilgrim media Group, a Lionsgate Company, and she held high-level influential positions at Sony Pictures Television and ABC Television. Prior to working as a producer in unscripted television, Das co-wrote, produced and directed independent feature film Karma Calling which was released by Netflix in 2012 and then to Amazon Video in 2016.

Leah Myerhof : is an award winning independent filmmaker. Leah’s films have screened in over 200 film festivals and aired on IFC, PBS, LOGO and MTV. She is a fellow of the IFP Narrative Labs, Tribeca All Access Labs, and Emerging Visions program at the New York Film Festival. Leah is also the founder of FILM FATALES, a non-profit organization which advocates for parity in the film industry and supports a membership community of over a thousand women and non-binary feature film and television directors nationwide.

Register at: https://bit.ly/3uBhllK

For acommodations request, call the Bob Murphy Access Center: (562) 985-5401